Nihat Kahveci

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Nihat Kahveci
AUT vs. TUR 2016-03-29 (186).jpg
Nihat in 2016
Personal information
Date of birth (1979-11-23) 23 November 1979 (age 44)
Place of birth Istanbul, Turkey [1]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Winger/Forward
Youth career
1994–1996 Esenler [2]
1996–1997 Beşiktaş
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1997–2002 Beşiktaş 114 (27)
2002–2006 Real Sociedad 133 (58)
2006–2009 Villarreal 62 (18)
2009–2011 Beşiktaş 34 (3)
Total343(106)
International career
2000–2010 Turkey [3] 69 (19)
Managerial career
2012–2013 Villarreal (youth)
2013–2017 Turkey (assistant)
Medal record
Representing Turkey
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg FIFA World Cup 2002 Korea-Japan
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 France
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg UEFA Euro 2008 Switzerland-Austria
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nihat Kahveci (born 23 November 1979), better known mononymously as Nihat, is a Turkish former professional footballer who played as a forward and right winger. He works as a football commentator for TRT. He has a UEFA Pro Licence. [4]

Contents

Biography

Like most Turkish players, his shirt carries his first name, Nihat, rather than his family name, Kahveci. He married Pınar Kaşgören on 5 July 2003. [5] Their daughter Selin was born in May 2008.

Club career

Beşiktaş

Nihat is a product of Beşiktaş's youth system and was discovered by Hürser Mustafa Cindir when Nihat played in Beşiktaş in the 1996–97 season. He joined the first team at Beşiktaş in the 1997–98 season when he was just 17, at the time John Toshack was the coach. Since then, Nihat became a key player.

Real Sociedad

In January 2002, Nihat was transferred to Real Sociedad for €5 million by his former Beşiktaş coach Toshack. Nihat also joined his Turkish team-mate Tayfun Korkut in Spain.

He had his debut on January, 26 in a 3–1 loss against Celta de Vigo, coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute for Xabi Alonso and played for 18 minutes.

His first goal came in a 2–2 draw against Rayo Vallecano on 24 February 2002. In the first half of the season, Nihat played 11 matches and scored one goal.

In 2002–03, his second season in Spain, Nihat scored a brace in the Basque derby, the opening match of the season, helping his team to win 4–2. He finished the season with 23 goals making him the league's joint-second highest scorer for the season behind Roy Makaay (29 goals) and tied with Ronaldo. [6] That season, Real Sociedad finished second in the league that season, just two points behind Real Madrid, [6] mostly thanks to a very fruitful strike partnership with Serbian forward Darko Kovačević, such that sports journalist Phil Ball nicknamed the pair "Little and Large", in reference to the height difference between the two (Nihat's height is 1.75 m and Kovačević's is 1.87 m). [7] His consistent, good performances have led to interests from other clubs, to which Nihat turned a deaf ear.

In his third season at Real Sociedad, Nihat made 32 appearances scoring a total of 14 goals. Nihat also played in the UEFA Champions League with Real Sociedad as the club was paired with Juventus, Galatasaray and Olympiacos. La Real qualified to the knockout stage, but was eliminated by Olympique Lyonnais, losing 2–0 on aggregate. By the end of the season, Nihat won the Don Balón Award for Best Foreign Player.

In his fourth season, Nihat made 23 appearances and scored 13 goals. In the middle of the season, Nihat tore his ACL during a match against Sevilla which caused him to be out of action for six months. [8]

In June 2005, reports claimed that Nihat was linked to Russian club CSKA Moscow for €20 million Euros but the move never materialized. [9] Nihat insisted he had to concentrate on the club to prevent relegation: "I can't go now. I can't walk out on Real Sociedad, We are fighting to try and secure some tranquillity and I am one of those who thinks that the more strength there is in the team, the better. On Sunday we took a very important step in Santander, and now it is a question of continuing to take steps forward in the league.". [10] Nihat was also linked with clubs like Chelsea [11] and Manchester United. [12]

In his fifth and last season at Real Sociedad, Nihat made his return from injury in a 3–0 loss in the Basque derby, against Athletic Bilbao. He went on to make 32 appearances and score seven goals. During that season, Nihat was about to sign for Russian club Spartak Moscow [13] but had to stay for the remainder of the season due to Kovačević's injury. [14]

Villarreal

On 16 May 2006, Nihat agreed to join Villarreal CF, on a five-year contract, on a Bosman transfer after rejecting a new contract at Real Sociedad. [15] He tore his ACL again on 22 November 2006 during a training ground collision with team-mate Javi Venta and was out for months. [16] He seemed to catch up form in his second season with 18 goals in the league and four goals in the UEFA Cup, helping his club to finish the season as second in La Liga where he formed a formidable offensive pair with Robert Pires. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo named Nihat as the best player on the team. However, in the 2008–09 season, due to injuries again, Nihat made 19 appearances equalling 764 minutes of playing time but failed to score a single goal. [17]

Return to Beşiktaş

Nihat playing for Besiktas in 2010 Nihat kahveci pence.jpg
Nihat playing for Beşiktaş in 2010

On 27 June 2009, Nihat returned to the club where he started his career by signing for Beşiktaş J.K. on a four-year deal. [18] Return to Turkish football wasn't very fruitful for Nihat. Over two seasons he managed 34 appearances in the league, netting only three goals. On 25 April 2011, in a match against Konyaspor which turned out to be his last game, Nihat and the new Beşiktaş favourite Ricardo Quaresma had quarrel on the pitch. Nihat was upset at Quaresma for failing to pass the ball and the altercation was broken up by teammates. [19] On 18 May 2011, Beşiktaş terminated Nihat's contract despite two years left on his contract and he told Turkish media: "I don't want to play in Turkey anymore.". [20]

Retirement

Following his release by Beşiktaş, Nihat was linked with returning to Spanish clubs like his former club Real Sociedad [21] and Castellón [22] and as well as MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy. [23]

After a six months without a club, on 12 January 2012; Nihat announced his retirement from football with immediate effect, saying: "I would like to share my decision to put an end to my professional career as a footballer,". After some days, Nihat told NTV Spor that his retirement was prompted by his age limiting his ability on the pitch and admitted that returning to Beşiktaş was a mistake and ill-judged, although stated there were some beautiful moments. [24]

"When you get old, you can't do anything you want on the pitch, I must admit my return to Turkey was not a success and it hurt me as a man who was used to success. I was angry at myself, and there was some heavy criticism too. After I left Beşiktaş, I thought maybe I could play somewhere else, but I saw that I wanted to call it a day. Every good story has a beginning and an end. I have had some very beautiful moments. I had great joy when I was healthy and playing well."

— Nihat told NTV Spor about his retirement

International career

2002 World Cup

Nihat made his international debut against Sweden in October 2000. [25] In Group C at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Nihat made his only appearance as a 79th-minute substitute for Yıldıray Baştürk against Costa Rica. [26] His only other appearance was as a substitute in the 1–0 victory over Japan where he replaced, the goalscorer, Ümit Davala. [27] Turkey went on to finish in third place with a 3–2 victory over Guus Hiddink's South Korea. [28]

Euro 2008

In the final match of Euro 2008 Group A, Nihat scored twice in a pivotal match against the Czech Republic. Both teams were level on points, both having beaten Switzerland and lost to Portugal, with exactly the same number of goals scored and conceded, a win would guarantee a quarter-finals spot whilst a draw would mean penalty-shootouts would be required in the group stage. The Czechs took a 2–0 lead through a Jan Koller header and a Jaroslav Plašil goal and the score remained 2–0 until the 75th minute, when Arda Turan scored making it 2–1. Nihat's first goal came in the 87th minute; Hamit Altıntop's cross was dropped by Petr Čech allowing Nihat tap the ball into the net. He scored his second goal one minute later; a brilliant, curling strike from outside the box, helping Turkey win the match 3–2. [29]

Nihat was ruled out of Turkey's semi-final with Germany due to a thigh injury, [30] which ultimately required surgery and prevented him from playing for Villarreal in the early part of the 2008–09 season.

Coaching career

On 6 July 2012, it was reported that Nihat has joined the coaching staff at his former club Villarreal as an assistant-manager of the youth team.

"Villarreal CF has opened the doors and I have always felt at home, I played three seasons here and in recent times I have followed the team as an amateur. I have much affection and, therefore, I am very glad to be in this club. I want to start my new career coaching from below, like I did as a player, The president Fernando Roig has made history at this club and certainly have the ability to return to the elite as soon as possible. We must also rely on the new coach, Julio Velasquez, if the club has chosen it is because they will have the conviction that the team will return to First Division."

— Nihat on his new job. [31]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [lower-alpha 1] EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Beşiktaş 1997–98 1.Lig 1120000–112
1998–99 1.Lig28700001 [lower-alpha 2] 1298
1999–2000 1.Lig3270000–327
2000–01 1.Lig3252000–345
2001–02 Süper Lig 1564122–219
Total1142761221112331
Real Sociedad 2001–02 La Liga 11141––152
2002–03 La Liga352300––3523
2003–04 La Liga3214008 [lower-alpha 3] 0–4014
2004–05 La Liga231300––2313
2005–06 La Liga32700––327
Total133584180–14559
Villarreal 2006–07 La Liga90232 [lower-alpha 4] 1–134
2007–08 La Liga3418206 [lower-alpha 5] 3–4221
2008–09 La Liga190004 [lower-alpha 3] 0–230
Total621843124–7825
Beşiktaş 2009–10 Süper Lig23332001 [lower-alpha 2] 0275
2010–11 Süper Lig110206 [lower-alpha 6] 4–194
Total343526410469
Career total343106197281021382124
  1. ↑ Includes Turkish Cup, Copa del Rey
  2. 1 2 Appearance in Turkish Super Cup
  3. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Intertoto Cup
  5. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Cup
  6. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

Scores and results list Turkey goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nihat goal. [3]
List of international goals scored by Nihat Kahveci
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
16 October 2001 Stadionul Republican, Chişinău, MoldovaFlag of Moldova.svg  Moldova 2–03–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
221 August 2002 Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, TurkeyFlag of Georgia (1990-2004).svg  Georgia 3–03–0 Friendly
312 October 2002 Gradski Stadium, Skopje, Republic of MacedoniaFlag of North Macedonia.svg  Macedonia 2–12–1 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
47 June 2003 Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 1–01–0UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
511 June 2003 BJK İnönü Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Flag of North Macedonia.svg Macedonia1–13–2UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
620 August 2003 Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium, Ankara, TurkeyFlag of Moldova.svg  Moldova 1–02–0Friendly
724 May 2004 Telstra Dome, Melbourne, AustraliaFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1–01–0Friendly
89 October 2004 Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul, TurkeyFlag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 2–04–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
913 October 2004 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, DenmarkFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 1–11–12006 FIFA World Cup qualification
1026 May 2006 Ruhrstadion, Bochum, GermanyFlag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 1–01–1Friendly
112 June 2006 Trendwork Arena, Sittard, NetherlandsFlag of Angola.svg  Angola 2–13–2Friendly
126 September 2006 Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, GermanyFlag of Malta.svg  Malta 1–02–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
1317 November 2007 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, NorwayFlag of Norway.svg  Norway 2–12–1UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
1421 November 2007 Ali Sami Yen Stadium, Istanbul, TurkeyFlag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–01–0UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
1525 May 2008 Ruhrstadion, Bochum, GermanyFlag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay 2–12–3Friendly
1615 June 2008 Stade de Genève, Geneva, SwitzerlandFlag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 2–23–2 Euro 2008
173–2
1822 May 2010 Red Bull Arena, New Jersey, United StatesFlag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 2–02–1Friendly
193 September 2010 Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan3–03–0 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Honours

Beşiktaş

Turkey

Individual

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References

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  3. 1 2 "Nihat Kahveci – International Appearances". RSSSF.
  4. ↑ "UEFA Pro Lisans'ı aldı". gazetevatan.com. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  5. ↑ Mert, Alper (6 July 2003). "Nihat hayatının golünü attı" (in Turkish). Hurriyet.com.tr. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Season 2002–03". BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
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  9. ↑ "Nihat eyes CSKA switch". Give Me Football. 10 June 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
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  16. ↑ "Knee jinx hits again at Madrigal". Sky Sports. 23 November 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
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  42. ↑ "Beşiktaş J.K. Squads of Century (Golden Team)".
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